These small caves are sometimes claimed by animals, which the locals drive out or slay for food when they can. At other times they shelter outlaws fleeing pursuit, travelers caught by sudden foul weather, and smugglers who use the hidden spaces as temporary storehouses. Smugglers often pay generously for the use of a private cave—but there have been occasions when those same criminals later silenced the locals they paid, fearing betrayal.

Most villagers lack the tools or knowledge to refine their copper and instead sell the metal as raw lumps to passing merchants. To a resident of Dreamer’s Rock, a single gold coin represents considerable wealth; some families see no more than five gold pieces’ worth of coin in an entire year.

The hill itself takes its name from the ancient elven mystic Ilyndrathyl the Dreamer. Long ago he was often seen hovering above the summit, seated upon nothing but empty air while facing directly into the fury of sea storms, seemingly unaware of the wind and thunder around him. During these meditations, it was said his mind wandered the distant reaches of Faerûn and even other planes. One afternoon his vigil ended abruptly when he vanished in a sudden burst of flame high above the rock. The locals believe that something dark and watchful realized it was being observed—and destroyed him without effort.